Adapter for mounting cables and cable hangers and clamp members for mounting same

ABSTRACT

An adapter for mounting a cable hanger on a mounting structure includes a body having a base and a neck, the base having a hollow cavity and including a mounting hole with an overhanging rim, the neck including a threaded bore, the adapter being formed of a polymeric material.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/413,233, filed May 15, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No.11,248,722, which claims priority from and the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application Nos. 62/673,571, filed May 18, 2018;62/684,394, filed Jun. 13, 2018; and 62/718,585, filed Aug. 14, 2018,the disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated herein byreference in full.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to devices for supporting cablesand, in particular, to hangers for securing cables to supportstructures.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cable hangers are commonly used to secure cables to structural membersof antenna towers and or along tunnel walls. Generally, each cable isattached to a structural member by cable hangers mounted atperiodically-spaced attachment points.

Antenna towers and/or tunnels may be crowded due to the large numbers ofcables required for signal-carrying. Over time, as systems are added,upgraded and/or expanded, installation of additional cables may berequired. To conserve space, it may be desirable for each set of cablehangers to secure more than a single cable. Certain cable hangers havebeen constructed to secure multiple cables; other cable hangers have astackable construction that permits multiple cable hangers to beinterlocked extending outwardly from each mounting point/structuralmember. Stacked and multiple-cable-type cable hangers significantlyincrease the number of cables mountable to a single attachment point.

One popular stackable cable hanger is discussed in U.S. Pat. No.8,191,836 to Korczak, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporatedherein in its entirety. Hangers disclosed therein have generally a U- orC-shaped profile with rounded arms. A locking projection extends fromthe free end of each arm, and the “root” of the hanger that spans thefixed ends of the arms has a large aperture. The hanger can hold a cablebetween the arms; gripping of the cable is enhanced by short fingersthat extend inwardly from the arms to engage the cable. The lockingprojections of a hanger are inserted into a hole in the antenna tower(typically in the leg of the antenna tower) to secure the hanger to thetower. Hangers can be “stacked” onto each other by inserting the lockingprojections of one hanger into the large aperture of the next hanger.One variety of cable hanger of this type is the SNAP-STAK® hanger,available from CommScope, Inc. (Joliet, Ill.). Other cable hangers areshown in U.S. Pat. No. 9,866,004 to Vaccaro and U.S. Pat. No. 9,903,510to Vaccaro and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2018/0045336 to Vaccaro, thedisclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated herein by referencein full.

Areas near cellular antennas (i.e., within 1λ, or one wavelength) can be(relatively) high radio frequency (RF) energy environments. Conductiveitems in these areas, such as hangers and other hardware, can generateundesirable passive intermodulation (PIM). Typical examples of potentialPIM-generating conditions include the combination of steel-on-steelcontact (between two or more components), plus low contact pressureand/or relative movement between the steel components at the joint. Assuch, it may be desirable to provide solutions for hanging cables withreduced (or eliminated) likelihood of PIM generation.

SUMMARY

As a first aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to anadapter for mounting a cable hanger on a mounting structure. The adaptercomprises: a body having a base and a neck, the base having a hollowcavity and including a mounting hole with an overhanging rim, the neckincluding a threaded bore, the adapter being formed of a polymericmaterial.

As a second aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a halfclamp member comprising: a bent central section; and two end sectionsattached to opposite ends of the central section. Each of the endsections includes a first hole for receiving a threaded rod. At leastone of the end sections includes a second mounting hole that is largerin diameter than the first hole.

As a third aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to anassembly comprising: a U-bolt with threaded ends; a mounting componentwith holes that receive the threaded ends of the U-bolt; a membersurrounded by the U-bolt and the mounting component, the U-bolt andmounting component secured to the member via nuts threaded onto thethreaded ends; and an adapter as described above attached to one of thethreaded ends, with the threaded bore of the adapter being receiving thethreaded end of the U-bolt.

As a fourth aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to anadapter for mounting a cable hanger on a mounting structure comprising:a main body with at least one side wall; a floor, the main bodyextending from the floor; a lip extending radially inwardly from a freeend of the side wall; a pair of latches extending from the floor in adirection opposite the body; and a ring extending from the floor withinthe main body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a side section view of an adapter for a cable hanger, shownexploded from a threaded rod of a clamp, according to embodiments of theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a conventional half clamp.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the half clamp of FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of four clamps that employ half clamps ofFIG. 2 , the half clamps of each clamp being held together with threadedrods such as those shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 5 is a section view of an adapter for a cable hanger according toalternative embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a partial end view of the adapter of FIG. 5 .

FIG. 7 is a side section view of a half clamp according to alternativeembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a half clamp according to furtherembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the half clamp of FIG. 8 .

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a steel cable hanger that may beemployed with the adapters of FIGS. 1, 5 and 6 .

FIG. 11 is a side view of a polymeric cable hanger that may be employedwith the half clamps of FIGS. 7-9 .

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the cable hanger of FIG. 11 .

FIG. 13 is a top view of a U-bolt attached to a member of an antennamount with an adapter shown in FIG. 1 exploded from an end of theU-bolt.

FIG. 14 is a top view of a U-bolt and antenna mount member as in FIG. 13with a mounting channel that provides mounting locations.

FIG. 15 is a side view of the mounting channel of FIG. 14 .

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an adapter for hanging cables accordingto alternative embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 17 is a side view of the adapter of FIG. 16 .

FIG. 18 is a top view of the adapter of FIG. 16 .

FIG. 19 is a top view of an adapter for hanging cables according tofurther embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 20 is a side view of the adapter of FIG. 19 .

FIG. 21 is a front section view of the adapter of FIG. 19 with a cablehanger of FIG. 11 mounted therein.

FIG. 22 is a side view of the adapter and cable hanger of FIG. 21 .

FIG. 23 is a partial end view of an adapter according to furtherembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 24 is a partial section view of the adapter of FIG. 23 taken alonglines 24-24 of FIG. 23 .

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of an adapter according to yet furtherembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 26 is a section view of the adapter of FIG. 25 .

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of an adapter according to yet furtherembodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are shown. Thisinvention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as limited to the embodiments that are pictured anddescribed herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that thisdisclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey thescope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It will also beappreciated that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in anyway and/or combination to provide many additional embodiments.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms that areused in this disclosure have the same meaning as commonly understood byone of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Theterminology used in the below description is for the purpose ofdescribing particular embodiments only and is not intended to belimiting of the invention. As used in this disclosure, the singularforms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms aswell, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also beunderstood that when an element (e.g., a device, circuit, etc.) isreferred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it canbe directly connected or coupled to the other element or interveningelements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to asbeing “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element,there are no intervening elements present.

Referring now to the drawings, an adapter for facilitating the hangingof cable hangers, designated broadly at 10, is shown in FIG. 1 . Theadapter 10 includes a generally cylindrical body 12 having a narrowerneck 14 and a wider base 16. The neck 14 includes a threaded bore 18.The base 16 is hollow, with a cavity 20, and has an overhanging rim 22that encircles a mounting hole 24 (typically a nominally % inch hole).As can be seen in FIG. 1 , the mounting hole 24 and bore 18 arecollinear, although in some embodiments this may not be the case. Apassage 26 that is smaller in diameter than the bore 18 connects thebore 18 with the cavity 20.

The adapter 10 is typically formed of a polymeric material, such asacetal resin or Nylon 6,6, and may be injection-molded. Alternatively,it may be machined or turned on a lathe.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrates a typical “half clamp” 50, which is onecomponent of a typical clamp 100 (illustrated in FIG. 4 ). Thehalf-clamp 50 is a unitary member with a bent central section 52sandwiched by two flat end sections 54. A hole 56 is present in each endsection 54. A pocket 58 is formed by the bent section 52.

As can be seen in FIG. 4 , two opposed half-clamps 50 can be employed inthe clamp 100 to attach pipes 102, which are typically used in themounting of antennas and/or radios (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No.9,812,762 to Skrepcinski et al, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated herein by reference. As shown in FIG. 4 , the half clamps50 are oriented so that the pipe 102 is captured in their pockets 58.Threaded rods 60 are inserted through the holes 56 in the half-clamps 50and secured with nuts 62.

As shown in exploded view in FIG. 1 , the adapter 10 shown therein canbe attached to the threaded end of a threaded rod 60 of a clamp 100.Specifically, the bore 18 of the adapter 10 threadedly receives the endof the threaded rod 60. Once attached, the adapter 10 can be used formounting a conventional steel cable hanger, such as that discussed aboveand shown in FIG. 10 at 30, in the mounting hole 24; in turn, the cablehanger 30 can be used to mount cables for an antenna or radio mounted toor near the pipes 102. Because the adapter 10 is formed of anon-metallic material, there is no metal-on-metal joint between the halfclamp 50 or threaded rod 60 and the cable hanger 30 that could otherwisecause undesirable PIM that may deleteriously affect the antennas orradios.

Those skilled in this art will appreciate that adapter 10 may be usedwith other components that include a threaded end. As one example, insome instances a U-bolt may be employed to attach two pipes (and oftenis in antenna mounts). The ends of the U-bolt may be threaded to receivenuts; these threaded ends may then be used to mount the adapter 10.Threaded ends of other structures may also be used.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6 , another adapter, designated at 10′, isshown therein. The adapter 10′ is similar to the adapter 10, but thebore 18′ in the neck 14′ has two different threaded sections; a widersection 18 a nearer the end of the neck 14′, and a narrower section 18 badjacent the passage 26′. This configuration enables a single adapter10′ to be used with components having threaded ends of two differentsizes (e.g., ½ inch and ⅜ inch). Once mounted on the threaded end, theadapter 10′ can be used as a PIM-reducing mounting location for cablehangers as discussed above.

Those of skill in this art will appreciate that the adapters 10, 10′ maytake different forms. For example, in some embodiments the passage 26may be omitted. In other embodiments, the mounting hole 24 may not becollinear with the bore 18, or even parallel to the bore 18; forexample, the mounting hole 24 may be perpendicular to the bore 18 if itwere preferable to mount a cable to the side of a threaded rod 60 ratherthan “in-line” with it.

Referring now to FIG. 7 , another embodiment of a half clamp, designatedbroadly at 150, is shown therein. The half clamp 150 is similar to thehalf clamp 50 in that it includes a bent central section 152 and twoflat end sections 154. However, as can be seen in FIG. 7 , the endsections 154 are longer than the end sections 54 of the half clamp 50.Also, each end section 154 includes a hole 156 similar to the holes 56discussed above that receive a threaded rod, but also include a largerhole 157 (typically ¾ inch) that can receive a cable hanger(particularly one formed of a polymeric material, such as thosediscussed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2018/0045336 to Vaccaro, supra,and shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 at 40. As a result, each end section 154can support both a cable hanger (which can either be a steel hanger 30as in FIG. 10 or a polymeric hanger 40 as in FIGS. 11 and 12 ) via anadapter 10, 10′ mounted on a threaded rod inserted through the hole 156and another cable hanger (typically a polymeric hanger as in FIGS. 11and 12 to avoid potential PIM) mounted in the hole 157.

Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9 , a half clamp 250 shown therein has acentral bent section 252, an end section 254 similar to the end section54, and an end section 254′ that is similar to the end section 154, withholes 256, 257, but with an added perpendicular flange 255 that includesanother hole 259 similar in size to the hole 258. Thus, the half clamp250 can support two adapters 10, 10′ mounted to threaded rods insertedthrough the holes 256, and can also support two perpendicularly mountedcable hangers inserted into the holes 257, 259.

Referring now to FIG. 13 , another assembly according to embodiments ofthe invention is shown therein and designated broadly at 300. Theassembly 300 includes a U-bolt 302 mounted to a member 304 (such as avertical mounting pole of an antenna tower). The U-bolt 302 ismaintained in place with a mounting plate 306; the threaded ends 303 ofthe U-bolt 302 are inserted through holes in the mounting plate 306 andsecured with nuts 310. The threaded ends 303 of the U-bolt 302 providepotential mounting locations for an adapter 10 or 10′ as discussedabove. The adapter 10, 10′ can then serve as a mounting point for cablehangers such as those shown in FIGS. 10-12 .

Referring now to FIGS. 14 and 15 , another assembly is shown therein anddesignated broadly at 400. Like the assembly 300, the assembly 400includes a U-bolt 402 mounted to a member 404. In the assembly 400, amounting channel 406 with a main panel 407 and flanges 409 is employedto mount the U-bolt 402. The threaded ends 403 of the U-bolt 402 areinserted through holes in the main panel 407 and secured with nuts 410.As can be seen in FIG. 15 , each of the flanges 409 includes holes 412that are sized to receive a cable hanger such as those shown in FIGS.10-12 , and may be particularly well-suited to receive a cable hangerformed of a polymeric material to eliminate PIM.

Referring now to FIGS. 16-18 , another embodiment of an adapter,designated broadly at 500, is illustrated therein. The adapter 500 isintended to address a potential issue that can arise with certain cablehangers, such as the cable hanger 40 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 . Morespecifically, in some instances the design of the cable hanger 40 allowsfor about +/−30 degrees misalignment of crossing cables. Thus, with eachsubsequently stacked hanger 40, an additional 30 degrees of rotation maybe permitted. However, there are instances in field use in which wherethe first and second cables in a stack need to cross at 90 degrees. Thiscan cause great difficulties for the user, and in some instances a usermay try to overpower the tines and barbs of the cable hanger 40 to forcea connection, thereby breaking the cable hanger 40.

This aforementioned issue can be addressed with the adapter 500. Theadapter 500 includes a generally cylindrical main body 512 that extendsfrom an annular floor 514. A lip 516 extends radially inwardly from thefree end of the main body 512. Two latches 518 with hooks 520 extendfrom the floor 514 opposite the body 512. Also, a ring 522 extends fromthe floor 514 within the main body 512. Two inner arced segments 524 arelocated within the ring 522 and are mounted thereto via a plurality ofthin S-springs 526. The arced segments 524 have threads (not shown) ontheir radially inward surfaces. In some embodiments, the arced segments524 define a nominal ⅜ inch diameter.

The adapter 500 can be employed to provide a mounting location for acable hanger (such as a cable hanger 40 described above) by threadingthe adapter 500 onto a threaded rod (such as the threaded rod 60described above—see FIG. 17 ) inserted between the latches 518 and intothe space between the arced segments 524. If the threaded rod is a ⅜inch rod, it can be threaded onto the arced segments 524 as they remainextended from the inner ring 522 by the S-springs 526. If the threadedrod is a ½ inch rod, it can be threaded onto the arced segments 524,which will be forced radially outward (supported by the S-springs 526)to positions of approximately ½ inch apart. Once threaded onto the rod,the adapter 500 can provide a mounting location for a cable hanger, asthe hooks of the cable hanger can be inserted between the inner ring 522and the main body 512 and be captured by the lip 516.

Additionally, the adapter 500 can also be mounted similarly to a cablehanger in a % inch mounting hole via the latches 518. Once mountedthereon, the adapter 500 can serve as a mounting location for anothercable hanger.

Notably, in either mounting configuration, the adapter 500 can provide amounting location for a cable hanger in which the cable hanger can bemounted in any orientation. As such, the adapter 500 can provide asolution to the issue mentioned above for the cable hangers 40illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 .

Referring now to FIGS. 19-22 , another adapter, designated broadly at600, is shown therein. The adapter 600 is similar to the adapter 500 inthat it can provide a mounting location for a cable hanger after beingmounted either to a threaded rod, a hole in a mounting structure (suchas an antenna tower or the like), or another cable hanger. However, thestructure of the adapter 600 differs somewhat. The adapter 600 has afloor 610 that is generally square. Two side walls 611 extend from thefloor 610 to a generally square ceiling 612 that has a central hole 613.Latches 618 extend from the floor 610 in a direction away from the sidewalls 611. An inner ring 622 extends from the floor 610 and is generallycoaxial with the hole 613. An arced segment 624 is connected with eachinner ring 622 via a plurality of S-springs 626. In addition, an innerwall 628 connects the ends of each of the arced segments 624.

The adapter 600 can be employed in much the same manner as the adapter500. However, if the adapter 600 is mounted on a ⅜ inch threaded rod 60,the rod 60 threads against the inner walls 628, which deflect radiallyoutwardly somewhat during threading. This action should provideadditional compressive pressure on the threads of the rod 60 to preventundesirable loosening/unscrewing of the adapter 600 on the rod 60. Evengreater compression (and thread grip) is present if the rod is a ½ inchrod. As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 , the adapter 600 can receive thelatches of a cable hanger 40 in the hole 613 in the ceiling 612, withthe shape of the hole 613 enabling the cable hanger 40 to be mounted inany desired orientation.

Referring now to FIGS. 23 and 24 , another adapter, designated broadlyat 700, is shown therein. The adapter 700 is similar to the adapter 10′discussed above, having a bore 718 in the neck 714 with two differentthreaded sections: a wider section 718 a and a narrower section 718 b.(It is understood that the adapter 700 includes a base with a mountinghole and rim as described above, but these structures are omitted inFIGS. 23 and 24 for clarity). As best seen in FIG. 23 , the threadedsection 718 a is discontinuous and includes three gaps 720 spacedgenerally circumferentially equidistant from each other, therebydefining three threaded arcs 722. Similarly, the threaded section 718 bis discontinuous and includes three gaps 724 spaced generallycircumferentially equidistant from each other to define three threadedarcs 726. This configuration can facilitate injection molding of thethreaded sections 718 a, 718 b.

Referring now to FIGS. 25 and 26 , another embodiment of an adapter,designated broadly at 800, is shown therein. The adapter 800 is similarto the adapter 600, with a floor 810 that is generally square, two sidewalls 811, a generally square ceiling 812 with a central hole 813 thatprovides a lip as with the adapters 500, 600, latches 818 that extend ina direction away from the side walls 811, and an inner ring 822extending from the floor 810. However, the inner ring 822 has a narrowersection 822 a (to receive a ⅜ inch threaded rod in its narrower ID) anda wider section 822 b (to receive a ½ inch threaded rod in its widerID). (Alternatively, the inner ring 822 may have are segments that canpermit attachment to a threaded rod like those of adapters 500 and/or600). Further, in the adapter 800 the latches 818 are mounted oncantilevered subfloor panels 819 that are mounted to the side walls 811below the floor 810. Thus, like the adapter 600, the adapter 800 can bemounted on either of a ⅜ inch or % inch threaded rod, or can be mountedto a cable hanger, and in either instance can provide a mountinglocation for a second cable hanger at any desired orientation.

Referring now to FIG. 27 , another embodiment of an adapter, designatedbroadly at 900, is shown therein. The adapter 900 is similar to theadapter 800, with a floor 910 that is generally square, two side walls911, a generally square ceiling 912 with a central hole 913, latches 918that are mounted on subfloor panels 919, and an inner ring 922 extendingfrom the floor 910 with a narrower section 922 a and a wider section 922b. However, in this embodiment the floor 910 is wider, so that the sidewalls 911 are spaced farther apart, and each of the side walls 911includes a mounting hole 914 that can receive a cable hanger in themanner of the hole 913. As a result, the adapter 900 can provide threedifferent mounting locations (in three different directions) for cablehangers 40.

The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to beconstrued as limiting thereof. Although exemplary embodiments of thisinvention have been described, those skilled in the art will readilyappreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplaryembodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings andadvantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications areintended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined inthe claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, withequivalents of the claims to be included therein.

That which is claimed is:
 1. An adapter for mounting a cable hanger on amounting structure, comprising: a main body with at least one side wall;a floor, the main body extending from the floor; a lip extendingradially inwardly from a free end of the side wall; a pair of latchesextending from the floor in a direction opposite the body; and a ringextending from the floor within the main body, wherein the ring has athreaded inner diameter.
 2. The adapter defined in claim 1, wherein theat least one side wall is a plurality of side walls.
 3. The adapterdefined in claim 2, wherein at least one of the plurality of side wallsincludes a mounting hole.
 4. The adapter defined in claim 1, wherein thefloor is annular or square.
 5. The adapter defined in claim 1, whereinthe lip forms a ceiling opposite the floor, and wherein a mounting holeis located in the ceiling.
 6. The adapter defined in claim 5, whereinthe mounting hole is generally coaxial with the ring.
 7. The adapterdefined in claim 5, in combination with a cable hanger mounted in themounting hole.
 8. An adapter for mounting a cable hanger on a mountingstructure, comprising: a floor; a pair of side walls extending in afirst direction from opposite edges of the floor; a ceiling spanning theside walls opposite the floor, the ceiling including a mounting hole; apair of latches extending from the floor in a second direction oppositethe side walls; and a ring extending from the floor in the firstdirection, wherein the ring has a threaded inner diameter.
 9. Theadapter defined in claim 8, wherein at least one of the side wallsincludes a mounting hole.
 10. The adapter defined in claim 8, whereinthe floor is annular or square.
 11. The adapter defined in claim 8,wherein the mounting hole in the ceiling is generally coaxial with thering.
 12. The adapter defined in claim 8, wherein the latches aregenerally arcuate in cross-section, and wherein the ring is generallycoaxial with the latches.
 13. The adapter defined in claim 8, whereinthe mounting hole is generally coaxial with the latches.
 14. The adapterdefined in claim 8, in combination with a cable hanger mounted in themounting hole.